


Dear Future Me

by plikki



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21997468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: Ladybug wanders off into the future and witnesses something she's not supposed to which leads to a shocking realisation.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 34
Kudos: 396





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not saying a thing. (Sorry not sorry. I had to write this.)  
> Enjoy!

She was looking transfixed at the young man in the room. Because you’re not supposed to look into the future and see what someone will look like years after your time. It’s usually the other way around, remembering what it used to be. So it was jarring to say the least. 

Ladybug only vaguely remembered wandering through Bunnyx’s burrow as she chased the akuma. She knew it was dangerous, since tampering with time could have dire consequences. But she’d had no choice. Still, she’d managed to chase the akuma back into her time, but something had made her linger on. To stay a moment longer on the balcony she was on and then turn around slowly. Only to see a very familiar face through the glass. 

Adrien. But not as she knew him. He looked older. He was taller, his hair a little longer and styled in a different way. But it was still unmistakably him. He was dressed in a suit, black that made his eyes pop out in a disconcerting way that made her think of someone else. He was in the process of tying up a light green tie around his neck, so she could look without being worried about being spotted. 

She looked around the room curiously. She knew she had to turn around and get away from here as fast as possible. But she couldn’t bring herself to. She was looking into this older Adrien’s bedroom. And noticing interesting things. Like too many feminine touches to think of it as a bachelor pad. Jealousy shot through her before she could stifle it. Well, it was only normal. Of course he’d have a girlfriend to live with him, she reasoned. It was silly to expect that someone like him would stay single for too long. Her eyes had been gliding from the big double bed to the dresses she could see in the closet before they snagged on something. That made her reasoning go to hell. Because obviously Adrien’s mysterious girlfriend was none other than herself. If the Miraculous box (egg) she could see tucked just behind an evening gown was any indication. And it had to be. There couldn’t be anyone else in possession of it, right? 

Her eyes returned to him, as he was finishing getting ready. Wow. It was really him. But if that had been startling enough minutes earlier, add to that the realisation that she was looking at her future boyfriend (was he more? A fiance?), and she was floored. Her future self had somehow managed to snag him. Him! She couldn’t have moved even if she tried. It was too much for her poor heart. She’d been so sure that she was slowly overcoming her feelings for Adrien. That pretty soon it would be all in the past, remaining in history as her first crush but nothing more. And now this. She couldn’t unsee this. 

And then the unthinkable happened. It got worse. 

“Kitty!” she heard a faint voice from another room. What sounded suspiciously like her voice. Kitty? Who was she calling kitty, almost screamed her panicked brain? She hadn’t realised that her heart was racing and her breath coming out in short puffs. Because whether she wanted it or not, whether she was ready for it or not, it all became clear in that small second when she heard the endearment directed at the man she was watching. There was a shred of hope still left, that huge part of her that had been in denial holding on for a last moment. And then he called back, “In here!” And it was over. 

There really was no way to get back unscathed from that. She knew something, quite a big something that she really wasn’t supposed to know. It had been bad enough seeing their life together, knowing that. But now? Adrien and her kitty, the same person. The thought finally crystalised in her mind. Surprisingly, the world didn’t end with that realisation. It was monumental, it was life-changing. But apart from her trembling form, everything else continued as normal. 

She didn’t have more time to think about what this all meant because at that moment she entered the room. Her future self that is. It was uncharacteristic of her but she couldn’t deny that she looked spectacular. The form-fitting short red dress was amazing (she could only hope it was something she’d created herself) and made her shine. Her hair (longer than it was now) was piled up in a loose bun on top of her head, a lock or two escaping it to tease her face. A face that quite literally glowed with happiness and love as she took in the man in front of her. Wow. She’d never seen herself from outside but she sure looked in love. 

The look Adrien, future-Adrien, gave her as he turned around, however, totally matched hers. They were living together, they’d clearly been together for quite some time and still, by the way they were looking at each other, one would guess that they were still in the honeymoon phase. 

“Wow,” he was the first to break the silence, eyes taking her in. “You look breathtaking, m’lady.”

Her heart lurched. To hear that coming from his mouth, directed at her civilian self. It was surreal. And made her instantly regret all the time they’d lost. Time they’d never get back. Time lost to heartbreak and loneliness. When they could have had  _ this _ . 

“Look who’s talking. You look dashing, young sir,” her future-self drawled, drinking him in. Her internal struggles, of course, went completely unnoticed by the two lovers in the room. 

And then their eyes locked and present-Ladybug got a feeling, no, a certainty that she was intruding on a  _ very  _ intimate moment. A very intimate moment that she and Adrien would have in the future, gulp! 

“Do we really have to go to that gala?” Adrien was saying and he was suddenly not a step apart from her, but very close to her and enveloping her in his arms. Like she was something precious. But also… like he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. Ladybug's cheeks must have burst in flames, she thought. The heat was overwhelming. She felt the need to fan herself. 

Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds, the tension in the room reaching abnormally high levels. And then a sad smile appeared on Marinette’s face. 

“Unfortunately, we do,” she said and all Ladybug could hear was regret. She really didn’t want to go, she’d rather stay and… well. 

“Are you sure? I can get you out of that dress in less than a second?” Came Adrien’s teasing reply. And the smirk that accompanied it was so typical of Chat that Ladybug gasped. If there had been even the smallest doubt left, it was gone. It was him. It really was him.

Marinette chuckled before turning around and walking towards the door. She looked at him over her shoulder and said,

“Later,” a promise in her eyes. He laughed softly too before following her out.

Ladybug took a deep breath and pressed her hot forehead to the glass. Well. That had been something. Quite a something. What was she supposed to do now? Her eyes widened as she realised that she’d practically left her teammates to fight the akuma on their own. They most certainly were worried about her too. She had to get back as soon as possible. And… act professional. Finish this, even after her personal world had turned upside down, leaving her breathless. And Chat… Adrien would be there waiting for her. She felt panic bubbling to the surface at the mere thought of facing him now. Knowing what she knew, having seen what she’d just seen. How would she do this? _ It’s still Chat, your best friend, your partner. You can trust him _ , a tiny voice piped in. 

So she looked one last time at the room that held so much love. It was clearly a home, not just a house. And she hoped with all her heart that she would get to see this future as herself, one day. Then she turned around and left the same way she’d gone there.

***

The moment she left the burrow behind, she saw him. Perched on that rooftop, looking away. But his kitty ears twitched when her feet hit the roof tiles and he turned around. Relief was almost visible on his face. Of course he’d been the one most worried for her, she realised. And the one to stay behind and wait for her. Her eyes filled with tears as she realised how she’d taken him for granted. How she’d turned him down again and again. And he was still there, solid as a rock, there for her. 

Yes, he was stubborn, hopelessly so. But also loyal to a fault. And she hadn’t been fair to him. She’d been so blinded by her feelings for Adrien to pause even for a moment to consider how alike they were. They shared the same kindness and willingness to help others, even at the risk of neglecting themselves. But she’d been too… prejudiced. God, she’d really been prejudiced. To consider the possibility that the poised and calm person she saw everyday at school could have a wild side and a penchant for silly jokes. Or the fact that her light-hearted partner could be too serious for his own good when pressed into being so. 

She longed to reach out and hug him. To comfort him and tell him it would be alright. But also, because she knew she could. But what stopped her was that sinking feeling in her stomach because she knew this would be awfully unfair to him. To run into his arms after rejecting him for so long only because she’d found out he was her long-time crush? It would be unbelievably hypocritical of her. So, not an option. 

“M’lady?” he asked tentatively, bringing her out of her reverie. Right. She was acting strange. Get a grip, Marinette, she scolded herself mentally.

“Where are the others?” she asked in what she hoped was a fairly normal voice.

“They chased the akuma away, trying to keep him distracted until you got back. What happened? You were gone a while. Is everything ok?” He looked so genuinely concerned. And he was so blissfully unaware of what a monumental thing had taken place. 

“I… I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see,” was out of her mouth before she realised what she was saying. So much for keeping this secret. She’d never given much thought to how hard it would be for one of them if they somehow figured out the other one’s identity and had to keep it a secret. Here was the moment of truth. She hadn’t managed to last even five minutes. Granted, he’d caught her while she was still processing everything and therefore was emotionally vulnerable, but still. It was hopeless. 

“What kind of something?” he asked slowly, no doubt catching her barely contained panic. 

“Oh, to hell with it,” she muttered and saw his eyes widen in shock. But there was no stopping her now. “It was you and me. In the future. Living together. As… a couple,” she barely managed to get the last word out. Panic was now an understatement. This was a horrible idea, she realised. How was she going to tell him? How would he react?

“Us? Like… “ he trailed off, but it was clear what he was thinking. He’d caught up pretty quickly with what this meant. Resignation reshaped his features as he sighed. “You saw who I am.”

“Yes,” she whispered. 

“Is this why you’re acting so strange? You’re disappointed, right?” he said, looking away. 

At first she thought she hadn’t heard him right. And then she realised she had. But how could he think this? And then understanding dawned. She’d been so fooled by the confidence he exuded when he was Chat. She’d totally forgotten he was Adrien too. Who could be so insecure, especially when it came to interacting with people. He always believed they thought the worst of him. And she’d somehow given the impression that she was disappointed he was Chat?

“No,” left her mouth on a gust of air as she rushed to him. “No way. How can I be disappointed?” she kept saying as she cupped his face and made him look at her again. “No, kitty. I’m confused. And panicking. And a lot of other things. But none of them is disappointed. Never,” she finished, like a vow. 

And that’s when it hit her. How close they were. And images of that scene she’d witnessed flashed through her mind. Uh oh. It hadn’t been a good idea to get that close to him when she was so unstable. She had to rely on her self-control and that had been shot to pieces when she’d rushed to convince him she was not disappointed. Her eyes wandered to his lips. Well. What better way to convince him than actually showing him how she felt?

And then she was kissing him. She forced herself to be careful, to give him time to react and push her away if that was what he wanted. But she’d longed for this moment for so long that she really couldn’t hold back. Thankfully, he didn’t push her back. Instead, she felt his arms wrap around her and bring her closer, while his head tilted just a little to the right to give him better access. And he was kissing her back. And he took her breath away, both literally and figuratively. She still felt some residual guilt, for taking advantage of him. But with him kissing her  _ like that,  _ she forgot everything else very quickly. 

When she broke the kiss right before running out of air completely, she couldn’t think straight. Wow. She felt him rest his forehead on hers but her eyes remained closed. She needed a minute. Or more. 

“So, you’re not disappointed?” he asked after managing to catch his breath.. Her eyes opened to meet his and drown in the adoration that filled them. Oh, she was so lost. 

“I’m not. But this is not fair to you,” she added, looking away ashamed. “You deserve someone who loves all of you. Not someone who comes running into your arms right after they find out you’re their long-time crush.”

She heard a gasp and her eyes snapped back to his. 

“I… well. I admit, it stings a little. But I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. You know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry. I was too stubborn to look closer and see you for what you are. If it’s any consolation, I was getting closer, I think. It was getting harder and harder to remain unaffected by you,” she admitted. It was the truth. She’d been vigilant. She’d built walls around her heart because she wasn’t stupid. She knew that if she wasn’t careful enough, he’d sneak his way in and she’d be in trouble. She hadn’t realised she was in trouble already. 

“We… we’ll talk about this later. Right now we have an akuma to catch,” he reminded her. Right. She’d totally forgotten about that.

“Right. Sorry again. I was too distracted. Shocked. Well…”

“You’ll tell me all about what you saw later,” he added. 

And this once again prompted images from her earlier experience to dance before her eyes. With the sexual tension she’d felt and the barely suppressed desire to act on it. Um. How was she going to tell him that, she thought as her cheeks caught fire again. 

“M’lady? What’s wrong? You didn’t catch us… doing something, right?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes. That only made her blush harder, if possible. 

“Not… exactly,” she managed to say. She saw his eyes widen. “How can you be so calm about this anyway? So… blase.” But then she saw his cheeks were also a little rosier than normal too.

“Ha. I’m just being real. You said yourself we were living together. It’s only normal to think... “ he caught himself in the nick of time. Before he’d said something that would make both of them die from embarrassment right there. He cleared his throat instead. “Well. You know.”

She knew. And the fact that they were both thinking about  _ that  _ made it hard to breath. It was a good thing they had a job to do. Nothing better to distract you from inappropriate thoughts than fighting a villain. 

“Later,” he said again. And she was almost off the roof when he added, “Can you give me a hint, though?”

She looked back to see him looking a bit sheepish. Right. He still had no idea who she was. The balance was tipped in her favour.   
“Do you think you could handle it , kitty? Wouldn’t you get terribly distracted? I don’t want you to get hurt?” she teased him, feeling bold all of a sudden.

“I already have enough things to keep me distracted if I let them, bugaboo,” he shot back at her, but there was that vulnerable look in his eyes that melted her. So she took pity on him.

“You know what? Let’s see if you can guess this right. You’d be surprised how close we’d been without realising it. Like I’m-sitting-behind-you-in-class close,” she rattled off before she could chicken out. And she turned around to leave again. Only hearing his strangled gasp as he said “Marinette.” There. That should work for now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to see Adrien's thoughts on the whole situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By popular request, here it is, part two. I hope I did it justice. It was a lot of fun to write, so thank you for asking for it!

“Marinette,” fell from Adrien’s lips as he watched her whizz away. Ladybug was Marinette. And she’d just kissed him. And she’d told him she’d seen them together in the future, as a couple. Wow. To say his mind was spinning would be an understatement. It was a bit too much to dump onto someone in the middle of a battle, he had to admit. But he did his best to pull himself together. It was a good thing he had experience keeping his thoughts at check while fighting alongside his lady. He could only hope that the fight would be over quickly.

His prayers must have been heard because when he finally made his way towards the place where his teammates had gathered, he saw they were holding the akuma victim and waiting for Ladybug to capture the akuma and cleanse it. The two of them shared only a fleeting glance as she got to work and then someone handed over the Lucky Charm she’d used earlier and it was over. Then they had less than a minute for Ladybug to gather the Miraculouses and send everyone home. They'd lost precious time while she was in the future and then with their "little" talk.

He left her to it, waiting at one of their meeting places. 

There he could finally pause and think about everything that had happened. He knew one thing for certain - he was happy that Ladybug was Marinette. He’d always admired his friend and cared about her deeply. Come to think of it, it was a miracle he hadn’t connected the dots earlier. However, he knew what she'd meant by saying she’d been too stubborn to look closely at him. He had been the same way with Marinette. He’d never once stopped and considered her as a potential love interest because he was too blinded by his love for Ladybug. And maybe he’d been a bit afraid of what he would find if he did look closely. Because there had always been something there, something he couldn’t put his finger on, but now that he knew she was actually the person behind the mask, it made perfect sense. He loved Ladybug and his feelings for her transferred without any problem to Marinette. It wasn’t to say that he was in love with Marinette just because she was Ladybug. No way. It was more about realising what she really meant to him now that he knew. He had a feeling this was how Ladybug felt about him too. He hoped so, at least. It was confusing and still made perfect sense.

So. He didn’t know much about that future she’d seen. She’d been too flustered to talk about it (which made him all the more impatient to finally get to the bottom of it) and they’d had no time. But from what he could gather, they’d been happy and in love. And they’d somehow made it work, being together far into the future, in spite of having secret identities to hide from the world and having the double lives to navigate. This gave him hope that no matter what happened, they could work it out, together. 

Of course, he was not naive, and he knew that the future was not set in stone. What she’d seen was just a possibility, a potential future that may never come to be. A small choice, a seemingly immaterial decision and it could all change. So there was no guarantee that what she’d seen would happen. But if they both wanted it? They could make it happen, he was sure of that. So they just needed to make sure they were on the same page. 

Just then he heard a thud announcing her arrival. He turned around just as her transformation wore off and there was Marinette, with Tikki floating near her head. He felt light-headed all of a sudden. Was this something he could get used to? Out of courtesy, he decided to transform too even though he didn’t really need to. 

“Plagg, claws in,” he said, not taking his eyes off of her. 

Plagg flew out of his ring, grumbling all the way till he stood next to Tikki.

“Can you believe it, sugarcube? They needed to look into the future in order to finally, finally get it together and confess and of course they had to reveal themselves too,” he said glumly.

“Shush, Plagg. They don’t need your “I told you so” attitude. Things between them were complicated enough. And the whole secret identity thing didn’t help either.” Adrien stiffened, remembering all the times Plagg had teased him about Marinette. "I told you so" sounded about right. 

“Tikki?” Marinette asked timidly. “Is this ok? That we know?”

It was good that she got to voice what was on his mind too. He’d been too caught up in his feelings to think about it earlier, but it was a serious concern. Was this going to be the end of their time as Ladybug and Chat Noir?

“Well, Marinette, as you very well know, it’s up to you. You are the guardian. It’s not ideal. Master Fu, I’m sure, would have preferred it if you found a way to deal with your feelings without compromising your identities. But I think you can make it work somehow, if you want my opinion,” came Tikki’s reply.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. This was such a relief. And he had to agree. The way it had happened and how they’d managed to handle it meant that no one else had an inkling that they’d revealed their identities to each other. The rest was up to them trying to be extra careful from now on.  He looked at Marinette and in her eyes he read the same determination. Everything would be alright. 

He opened his arms wide and beckoned her in. She gladly fell into them, holding him tightly.   
“I’m sorry I dumped all that on you. And put us in danger by doing so. I just couldn’t hold it in when I saw you,” she mumbled against his shirt.

“It’s ok. I’m always here for you, you know that. Besides, I’m more than happy right now,” he added with a smile. 

“I’m happy too,” she said softly, looking up at him. And he just couldn’t resist kissing her smiling lips. It felt so easy, so natural to do it. Now that all the hiding and pretense were out of the way, they could be the way they wanted to be. Together. 

“I was just too overwhelmed after what I saw,” she added after that, looking away shyly. This was his cue, he realised. 

“Are you ready to talk about it? I’m sure you’ll feel better afterwards,” he said gently.

“Ah. Well. You know what, I think I overreacted a bit. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t that much. It was more the shock of the moment.” She was looking for a way out, it was clear.

“Let me be the judge of that,” he nudged her encouragingly and she took a deep breath before speaking. 

“So. Um. I was obviously on the balcony of our home. Isn’t it strange how I ended up there of all places? Whatever. And we were preparing to go to this official event or something. Like, we were all dolled up. Yeah, you too, don’t laugh. And we were complimenting each other on how well we looked. And… “ she paused, her cheeks getting suffused with colour. She looked at him again, her eyes widened slightly. “Well, suffice to say we looked like we would have preferred it if we stayed home, discarding the clothes and… you know. And we might have said something in that regard too,” she finished off, pressing her lips together as if to prevent herself from saying something… more.

It was the way the scene she was describing hit him squarely in the middle. It sounded so homely, he felt longing fill his heart. He wanted that future. Where they would prepare to go out together, joking around, trying to resist the temptation to stay in instead. They would be happy and content to just be together. In their own home, free to do whatever they wanted... He tried to rein in his mind before it went down that particular path because it was dangerous. But oh so promising. 

He focused on the girl in his arms, who was looking at him expectantly. Right. He felt the irresistible need to clear his throat again, while trying not to make it obvious what he’d been thinking. And then he realised there was no point, since this was exactly what they were discussing anyway.

“That doesn’t sound so bad, right?” he said tentatively, trying not to scare her. 

“Bad?" she looked confused. "I never said it was bad. Just surprising, because I didn’t expect to see it. I guess I’ll come to accept it as something normal… soon,” she said, her eyes locked on his. Oh God, that girl would be the end of him, he realised, heart fluttering. Then she shook her head, as if trying to put an end to that train of thought too, he observed with amusement. “Anyway, it’s not something you can expect to witness, you know. It’s embarrassing and awkward enough when it’s another couple you catch in such a private moment. But imagine you being part of that couple! Also, seeing this without having any idea that it was a possibility, a very real possibility…” she trailed off and looked down. He slowly brought a hand up to her face, caressing her still warm cheek. 

“I get it. I would have reacted the same way in such a situation or maybe worse,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh, drawing her eyes back to his. 

“You know, it’s surprisingly easy to talk to you about that,” she said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Hey, I can be serious when I want to be,” he rushed to say, then chuckled. “Now, joking aside, I appreciate this. We’re partners. We should be able to talk to each other about anything. No matter how embarrassing it may be. And…” he bit his lip, not sure if he wasn’t jumping the gun a bit. 

“And?” she prompted, her eyes so trusting that he just had to say it.

“If we’re to be more, it would be even more important,” he added, now his turn to look sheepish. 

“You’re absolutely right, kitty,” she said with a smile and he instantly felt himself relax. “So?” 

“So?” He repeated, still not sure enough if it was ok to just ask.

“Are we going to be more?” She asked, clearly having no such qualms. Or she was simply more impatient than him. 

“Whatever you wish, m’lady,” he said, making it clear it was a choice, not inevitable and in no way was she to feel under pressure. But he was sure his eyes were pleading at this point. 

“I know that I want to see that future, as myself,” she said earnestly and for a moment he wondered if his heart could really take this. It was happening, it was real. 

“Me too,” he whispered, softly touching his forehead to hers. 

“We’re doing this then?” she asked with a smile.

“We are,” he agreed, before capturing her lips in a hot kiss. After all, his self control could last only so long. His last thought before surrendering to the feeling and abandoning thinking altogether was, “Dear future me, whatever you did, you did it right.”


End file.
